2008 Honda Civic Hybrid

I HAVE A 2008 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID, PURCHASED NEW IN 2008, AND IT HAS APPROXIMATELY 50,500 MILES ON IT. UPON PARKING MY CAR IN THE GARAGE ON THE EVENINGS OF 7/10/2013 AND 7/11/2013, I NOTICED A VERY SLIGHT GASOLINE ODOR. IT WAS VERY SLIGHT, SO I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A FLUKE OR SOMETHING IN THE GARAGE. NOTE THAT I LAST FILLED UP MY GAS TANK ON 6/29/2013, SO MY TANK WAS NOT VERY FULL BY THIS TIME. ALSO NOTE THAT THE SACRAMENTO AREA HAD A DECENT HEAT WAVE FROM 6/28/2013 THROUGH 7/4/2013. ON THE MORNING OF 7/12/2013, I FILLED UP MY TANK. UPON PARKING MY CAR IN THE GARAGE ON THE EVENING OF 7/12/2013, I AGAIN NOTICED THE GASOLINE ODOR BUT IT WAS STRONGER THAN PREVIOUS DAYS. I CLOSED THE GARAGE DOOR, AND THEN RETURNED TO THE GARAGE AWHILE LATER AND THE ODOR WAS EXTREMELY STRONG. MY CAR IS NOW PARKED OUTSIDE BECAUSE OF THE FUMES AND I AM REFUSING TO DRIVE IT DUE TO THE STRONG GASOLINE ODOR AND I FEAR FOR MY SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF MY KIDS. I SPOKE WITH THE DEALERSHIP TODAY (SATURDAY 7/13/2013) AND THEY SAID MY CAR IS NOT ONE OF THE 80,000 CARS THAT MAY HAVE THIS PROBLEM. (THERE IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH A CONNECTION AT THE FUEL TANK FOR 2006-2011 MODELS OF THE CIVIC HYBRID). THEY WILL NOT KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS UNTIL I BRING IT IN ON MONDAY AND WILL EVALUATE IT THEN. APPARENTLY, THAT DEALERSHIP DOES NOT BELIEVE A GASOLINE LEAK IS NOT ENOUGH OF A PROBLEM TO HAVE ME BRING IT IN ON A SATURDAY. CLEARLY, THE PROBLEM WITH THE FUEL TANKS IS BROADER THAN THE 80,000 CARS ORIGINALLY ANTICIPATED. A WELL-MAINTAINED CAR WITH ~50,500 MILES ON IT SHOULD NOT HAVE A FUEL LEAK. WITH THIS FUEL LEAK ON TOP OF THE ALREADY POOR PERFORMING IMA BATTERY THAT EVERYONE ELSE IS HAVING, I AM NOT A HAPPY HONDA OWNER. *TR

SINCE THE HONDA IMA REPROGRAM MY BATTERY PACK NO LONGER HOLDS A CHARGE. IT IS DEAD EVERY MORNING. IT WILL BUILD A CHARGE THROUGH MY 35MI COMMUTE, BUT THE CHARGE HOLDS FOR ONLY A LIMITED AMOUNT OF TIME ONCE I EXIT THE HIGHWAY AND UTILIZE SURFACE STREETS REQUIRING STOP AND GO TRAVEL. AFTER SITTING A FEW HOURS, THE BATTERY PACK IS DEAD AGAIN. THE BATTERY PACK HAS DIED NUMEROUS TIMES UPON QUICK ACCELERATION SUCH AS ENTRY TO A HIGHWAY. THIS IS UNSAFE AS THE VEHICLE LOSES ITS CAPABILITY TO ACCELERATE WITHOUT THE IMA. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE LOCAL DEALER WHO KEPT THE CAR FOR 2 DAYS TO TEST IT. THEY CONFIRMED THAT THE BATTERY PACK DOES NOT HOLD A CHARGE, RECHARGES SLOWLY AND DRAINS QUICKLY. HOWEVER THEY STATED THAT ALTHOUGH IT WAS UNDER THE WARRANTY PERIOD, THEY WOULD NOT AND COULD NOT REPLACE THE BATTERY PACK DUE TO THE LACK OF A SYSTEM CODE OR DUMMY LIGHT ILLUMINATING. THIS LACK OF ACTION BY HONDA FOR THIS COMMON FAULT IN THEIR IMA SYSTEM IS UNACCEPTABLE. WHEN THE CAR WAS NEW AND THE IMA SYSTEM WORKED, I RECEIVED THE MPG AS PROMISED AND THEN SOME. SINCE THE UPDATE AND THE FAILURE OF THE BATTERY PACK, I NO LONGER RECEIVE THE EPA STATED MPG. I BASICALLY HAVE A NORMAL CIVIC WITH HYBRID BADGES. I HAVE BEEN A HONDA DEVOTED OWNER SINCE 1997. THIS WILL BE MY LAST HONDA. *TR

AFTER DRIVING MY HONDA CIVIC HYBRID JUST OVER 5 YEARS AND WITH ABOUT 50K MILES ON IT, MY AIRBAG SRS LIGHT ILLUMINATED. WHEN I TOOK IT INTO THE HONDA DEALERSHIP, THEY TOLD ME THAT IT SHOWED ERROR CODE 33-10 AND THAT THE LEFT SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAG FIRST INFLATOR HAD GONE BAD AND THAT BOTH IT AND THE LEFT SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAG WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE TOTAL COST WAS $1468. I CONSIDER SEAT BELTS AND AIR BAGS TO BE CRITICAL ITEMS IN MY CAR AND HAVE A "ZERO DEFECT" EXPECTATION FOR THEM. I HAD BOUGHT A HONDA FOR TWO REASONS: SAFETY AND RELIABILITY. FOR IT TO HAVE THIS KIND OF FAILURE WITH RELATIVELY LOW MILEAGE AND AGE CONCERNS ME GREATLY. IT ALSO CONCERNS ME THAT HONDA WOULD NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT ON A SAFETY ISSUE SUCH AS THIS. $1468 IS OUTRAGEOUS. IT APPEARS THAT I AM NOT THE FIRST HONDA OWNER TO HAVE THIS KIND OF PROBLEM. HOW MANY MORE WILL HONDA HAVE ON A SAFETY ITEM LIKE AN AIRBAG BEFORE THEY ISSUE A RECALL? *TR

THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS GOT CROSSED UP WHILE IN USE WHICH ENDED UP BREAKING ONE OF THE BLADES. I TURNED THE WIPERS OFF > UNCROSSED THE BLADES > TURNED THE WIPERS BACK ON > AND THE WIPERS WOULD ONLY CYCLE ABOUT HALF WAY UP THE WINDOW BEFORE RETURNING TO THE REST POSITION. A WEEK LATER I TURNED THE WIPERS ON TO DRIVE IN THE RAIN AND THE DRIVERS SIDE WIPER WILL NOT MOVE WHILE THE PASSENGER SIDE DOES. THE PASSENGER BLADE IS BELOW THE DRIVERS SIDE BLADE, SO THE PASSENGER BLADE HITS THE NON-MOVING DRIVERS SIDE BLADE WHICH ACTUALLY KNOCKED THE PASSENGER SIDE BLADE OFF THE ARM. *TR

ON OR AROUND 11/20/2011, THE CONTROL PANEL ON MY 2008 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID LOST ALL POWER WHILE DRIVING ON IH-10 W IN HOUSTON, TX. AS A RESULT, I HAD NO INFORMATION ABOUT MY SPEED, FUEL LEVEL, RPM, ETC. I BELIEVE THIS PROBLEM WAS RELATED TO MY HYBRID BATTERY AS IT HAD TO BE REPLACED SHORTLY THEREAFTER. CURRENTLY, I AM HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE REPLACEMENT HYBRID BATTERY AND HONDA IS REFUSING TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM UNDER THE WARRANTY. I AM WRITING TO THE NHTSA IMPLORE IT TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT ISSUES WITH HONDA'S HYBRID BATTERIES. IT IS WELL KNOWN THAT THESE BATTERIES ARE FAILING AT A HIGH RATE AND THERE ARE SEVERAL CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS CONCERNING THE PERFORMANCE OF THESE BATTERIES. THIS PROBLEM IS WELL KNOWN TO HONDA AND SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE AS IT IS PUTTING PEOPLES' LIVES AT RISK. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE UNDER A MANUFACTURER'S RECALL FOR THE IMA BATTERY. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER AFTER THE REPAIRS, THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED A HESITATION IN ACCELERATION POWER WHEN TRAVELING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS OR ATTEMPTING TO DRIVE UPHILL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION WHERE THEY STATED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE IN THE HEAT, THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT IF THE BATTERY OVER HEATED IT WOULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO STALL AND THEY DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE SINCE THAT WAS THE WAY THE VEHICLE WAS DESIGN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,000.

I WAS STOPPED WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE, ABOUT TO MAKE A LEFT TURN. THE ENGINE SHUT OFF AS THE HYBRIDS DO. I WAS REAR-ENDED BY A CHEVY SUBURBAN GOING 30 MPH. THE VEHICLE'S BACK CRUMPLED ACCORDINGLY, AND THAT STRUCTURE DID WELL. HOWEVER THE DRIVER'S SEAT BROKE SO WHERE THE BACK COULD NOT BE SET UPRIGHT WITHOUT IT FALLING OVER AFTER THE CRASH. I WONDER IF MY BACK WOULD HAVE BEEN AS HURT IF IT WOULD NOT HAVE BROKEN. *TR